While I enjoy chick lit, sometimes I like to read off the beaten path. I wasn’t sure what to expect other than a good mystery when I picked up Critical Pursuit by Janice Cantore but I was not disappointed. The story moved along well and even though it was somewhat predictable, it was also a gripping story.

After being rescued from an abduction as a child, twenty years later Brinna Caruso has dedicated her life to helping other children who have been abducted. With her K9 dog, Hero, she searches for lost children. Jack O’Reilly used to be a great cop until a year ago when his wife and unborn child were killed by a drunk driver. Now he has lost all of his ambition. When Brinna is forced to partner with Jack for a short time, she doesn’t know what to expect from the man everyone says is burned out. What kind of partner will he be? When the man who abducted Brinna starts leaving clues for her at abduction sites, she and Jack must work together to figure out who is taking children and toying with Brinna.

There was a lot going on in this book. There was the main plotline in addition to a lot of personal things in both Jack’s and Brinna’s lives. While Jack deals with the loss of his wife and moving on, Brinna deals with some job complications, the loss of a mentor and the non-relationship she has had with her dying father. The story moves along quickly from the get go and you are drawn in. While this story had no romance in it (other than a couple mentions of Jack being good looking), I can see potential in future books for it between Brinna and Jack.

Overall, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars. To learn more about the author, visit her website at

****Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was not compensated in any way for either a negative or positive review